Michigan Abortions Legal (for now), One Shop Opens and Another Closes, Free Ice Cream!, a Sad Tale of Addiction, and a Woman’s Battle to Save Herself

The Latest From Marquette, MI by Brian Cabell

ABORTION IS STILL legal in Michigan, at least for the time being—in spite of the recent Supreme Court ruling…An obscure 1931 state law banning abortion is still on the books, and some downstate prosecutors are now saying they’ll try to enforce the ban…But a recent state court ruling imposed an injunction against the ban, and both the Governor and Attorney General remain vehemently opposed to it.

Further, 55% of Michiganders believe abortion should be legal in most cases, 39% believe it should be illegal…Then again, most Americans believe abortion should be legal and…well, that didn’t seem to matter much to the US Supreme Court.

What’s now likely in the immediate future, according to Bridge Michigan, is we’ll become a haven for pregnant women from neighboring states like Ohio and Wisconsin which have stricter abortion laws. 

But battles likely lie ahead in Michigan—in the courts, in the legislature, and… on the streets (ie protests).

What a mess. As if we needed yet another issue to divide us.

A NEW SHOP downtown, thanks to Jen Ray and Tom Vear, the owners of Donckers and The Delft…It’s the Evergreen Market, a gift store… “It’s an artisan-type shop, with a lot of small batch stuff,” says Ray, as she and her staff continue filling the shelves. “We’re going to have a lot of fun with this.”…Eco-friendly…She says they’re being careful not to replicate what other shops downtown are offering…It’s big—two-and-a-half stories…Eventually they hope to offer a variety of classes in the shop. 

MEANTIME, DOWNTOWN WILL soon be losing one of its businesses…Aloha Grill, which has been serving Hawaiian BBQ out of a small space in the basement of the Masonic Center for the last couple of years, is closing down on July 16th…Their associated business, Aloha Shave Ice, just off the sidewalk on Third Street, will shut down a couple of weeks later…Both of them are popular and well-rated, but operating a small business isn’t easy these days…The owners, Mitch and Ally Kolowena, are moving to California.

LAKE SUPERIOR WILL continue to rise over the next few decades—up almost 8 more inches by 2050…This, according to a recent study led by Michigan Tech professor Pengfei Xue…And Lake Michigan and Lake Huron? They’ll be up by more than 17 inches…Shrinking beaches.

THE NEWEST COFFEE shop in town, Provisions, at One Marquette Place, started offering gelato a few weeks ago…They’ve since run out twice, can’t keep it in stock…Earlier this week, when they ran out a second time, owner Jesse Renfors offered ordinary ice cream instead…Free!...An apology for running out of gelato, with the hope that the beneficiaries of the free stuff will come back when a new, larger shipment of gelato arrives…

The difference between gelato and ice cream? Gelato is lower in fat because it contains less cream and more milk, and it doesn’t include egg yolks…A 3.5 ounce portion of vanilla gelato contains 90 calories and 3 grams of fat…3.5 ounces of ice cream has 125 calories and 7 grams of fat.

CONTINUING FRUSTRATION THAT the city of Marquette doesn’t have a year-round dog park (Tourist Park is open to canines during winter only)…Enter Samantha Spagnuolo, the owner of Superior Bark, a dog-walking and pet-sitting business… “It’s going to happen,” she says enthusiastically. “I’m going to make it happen.” She’s determined to get a dog park set up…She’s got a business plan she’s presenting to the city and the Board of Light and Power…She’s no naif—she’s an NMU grad with a degree in business management and a focus in operations management.

IT'S HEART-BREAKING, illuminating, and, for many, it may hit too close to home…A&E has been running the reality series, Intervention, for years now, and an episode earlier this year was based in Marquette…The series deals with alcoholics and drug abusers, and the attempts of their families to get them straight…The Marquette episode features a young woman by the name of Abbie…It can be found here: 

LIFE AIN’T FAIR…A prime example is Anna Dravland, the idealistic young lady who founded Spread Goodness Day…The same woman who, in her 30s, suffered a debilitating stroke almost five years ago, who’s struggled to regain her physical and mental abilities, who’s remained cheerful and determined…But now she’s been slammed with another crisis—she’s dealing with a condition known as congenital intestinal malrotation. Her internal organs are squashed together, making it almost impossible to eat…She can drink some shakes, but otherwise, it’s IVs…She’s lost 25 pounds…

The good news? She’s scheduled for rare, extremely complicated surgery later this month at the Cleveland Clinic…The bad news? She won’t get it unless she can get up and move around. Right now, she can’t. She’s bedridden…The slightly better news? She’s just been transferred from UPHS-Marquette to UPHS-Bell where she’s getting special therapy to help her walk…She’s got nothing but praise for the health care workers here…She’s less enchanted with the overall bureaucracy she’s faced over the last several years. “You’ve got to constantly fight for your health,” she says, with equal parts frustration and determination.

If there is a shred of fairness in this world, she’ll make it—with our prayers and wishes--to the Cleveland Clinic for her surgery.

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